News

December 21, 2017| 2017, as difficult as it has been, has borne witness to the birth of new life for our organization in ways that we have not experienced before. The agony and intensity of this year has come with unexpected turns and amazing surprises on a very difficult road that, at the end of 2016, mostly predicted more grief, polarization and violence in the US and throughout the world. Here is where the real miracle lies! In a year when our political structures have again proven their limitations at promoting long lasting social transformation for peace rooted in justice, people of faith from all corners of the world, from varying backgrounds and different spiritual, religious and theological perspectives have been moved to prayerful and courageous action in very creative ways. Our organization of peacemakers, BPFNA ~ Bautistas por la Paz, has been one of these groups. Read more »

December 13, 2017| You work for peace rooted in justice! Shouldn’t your gift-giving do the same? Here are 10 gift-giving ideas for lovers of peace and justice. We’ve focused on grassroots efforts led by people we know so that you can be positive that your gift will matter and will be used wisely and well. Read more »

December 13, 2017| Our good friend Dalia Juárez Fernández shares this update on the efforts of the Mayan Intercultural Seminary (SIM) as they minister to communities impacted by the recent earthquakes. Read more »

December 11, 2017| With Hurricane Maria on September 20, we entered a different level of emergency as whole communities, communications, water, electrical network, as well as transportation avenues were completely wiped out in the whole island. Without electricity and water, with blocked streets, fallen bridges, etc., and telecommunications down (only 240 towers were standing from 1,600), 3.4 millions of people were left without communication and rapid response from governmental agencies was greatly hindered. The Seminary was a site of utmost destruction with fallen tress blocking all entrances and debris all over. The campus, chapel, and student housing suffered the most damage. The water affected offices and classrooms but we were most concerned over humidity in the library endangering books and treasured archives. For now, all the classes are being given on Saturdays at the Interamerican Metro University facilities while we work out cleaning up and repairing our campus. Read more »

November 30, 2017| I was born after Zimbabwe’s Independence in 1980 after a violent liberation struggle. I did not see the army in action in recent weeks. I just woke up seeing army tankers in town. Most international media organisations concluded that it was a coup against President Mugabe. We received more news of celebrations from the West than from Zimbabwe or any other African country . I sensed Western imperialism. It was strange! Even Italian media houses that normally don’t speak about Zimbabwe had “Zimbabwean coup” as a headline. Read more »

November 16, 2017| “The sharing of resources and the sharing of connections between Indigenous communities is huge. I think the advantage of this [BPFNA ~ Bautistas por la Paz] network is that it could also facilitate the making of connections… A cross-pollination of Indigenous communities directly would be really exciting. And I think it would benefit us all. Some people think we’re separate in our work, but actually when we do this work well it bleeds out into all these other aspects of our lives and theology and our frameworks.” Read more »

November 13, 2017| Donations toward our 2017 #GivingTuesday campaign will go toward providing scholarships to bring Indigenous representatives from across the Americas to our 2018 Summer Conference in Keuka Park, NY. Each week will tell a different story of an Indigenous community BPFNA ~ Bautistas por la Paz is connected with. Ten percent of all proceeds raised will also go toward disaster relief efforts in Mexico and Puerto Rico. We heard many voices express the importance of having continuous Indigenous participation in our events. Providing space to share resources, tactics, and experiences will help connect and empower Indigenous communities across the Americas. With the help of those in the BPFNA ~ Bautistas por la Paz community, we can make this possible. If you believe in reaching across borders and boundaries to create peace rooted in justice, please consider making a donation toward our #GivingTuesday campaign. Read more »

November 7, 2017| I believe that we are trapped in a system of unresolved trauma. As a person passionate about the possibilities of peacemaking, I have been studying trauma and its ongoing impact for years, convinced that most of the personal and communal conflicts we experience stem from experiences of trauma that are unacknowledged and unaddressed. The impact of trauma has received sustained scholarly and pastoral attention that reveals that unresolved trauma leads to an endless cycle of violence — of acting in against ourselves and/or acting out against each other. Practitioners often portray this as a figure eight, with people and societies moving ceaselessly through cycles of harm. Read more »